Evening Shade
by XachMustel
Summary: 101 Dalmatian Street. A week has passed since Dawkins' beloved Princess Positron doll was shredded by Cruella. Unfortunately, a dark and misanthropic new side to the inventor surfaces and alienates his family. Can a heart-to-heart talk with Dante save him from going off the deep end?


"We may be animals but we aren't monsters!"

It had been about a week since Cruella DeVil kidnapped the puppies and shredded Dawkins' Princess Positron doll. The young genius clutched what was left of her in his paw. Closing his eyes, he gritted his teeth and images flashed through his mind of all sorts of brutal and gory ways Cruella could have been executed ranging from the guillotine to the brazen bull to even crucifixion. Doug and Delilah were far too soft on her, letting her go after the atrocity she attempted.

As days passed, Dylan and Dolly began to notice a slow shift in Dawkins' general mood and attitude. He became almost cold and his temper was even shorter than usual. One time, Dylan ordered Dawkins to make an adjustment on the food machine and the inventor's response was to let out a creepy growl and leave.

One particular pup immediately sensed a strong change in Dawkins. Deepak would watch in shock at the genius' violent outbursts and even became somewhat afraid of him. The yin-yang patterned puppy had been watching him the whole time with a look of great concern etched upon his face.

Stepping out into the backyard, Deepak stared at Dawkins for a bit before clearing his throat, "Dawkins, is everything okay?"

"Everything is just fine." Dawkins spat venomously in response, squeezing his beloved toy's eye in his fist.

"Really? Cause your aura is telling me otherwise-"

"I SAID I'M FINE!" Dawkins exploded, causing Deepak to flinch.

Deepak blinked a few times and there was a long silence between the two of them before Dawkins spoke up, "Deepak, do you think mum and Doug were too soft on her?"

Deepak closed his eyes and drew a breath, "They made the correct choice. As Guru Miaow once said two wrongs don't make a right."

"Wrong answer." Dawkins responded coldly, "Are you at all familiar with the term euthanasia?"

"What are you getting at?" Deepak raised an eyebrow.

"Cruella is essentially a rabid dog. Wouldn't it be better off if they just let her die in that machine and rot in hell like the scum she is? Think about it, animal abusers always get off with light sentences. Next thing you'll know, she'll be roaming the streets with plans on turning us or any other hapless Dalmatian into coats." Dawkins replied, his heart pounding with anger.

Deepak sighed and averted his gaze to the ground, "This is about Princess Positron, isn't it?"

Dawkins let out a chuckle, then a laugh, then the laugh took on an unnerving and almost demented quality that chilled Deepak to the bone, "So you think I'm hungry for revenge? You're stupider than I thought. All that Miaowism must've turned your grey matter into mush. As long as she lives, Cruella is a threat to society at large."

"Y...your aura is getting r-r-really dark, Dawkin-" Deepak stammered but was instantly backhanded by the genius to the ground.

In a flash, Dawkins was on Deepak and using the yoga pup's red and blue collar to choke him, "Letting Cruella live was the stupidest thing our parents have done. If it was me, she'd be nothing but a pool of blood with bits of flesh and bone. A CREATURE like her doesn't deserve to see the light of day and you're a complete idiot for even so much as having an iota of sympathy for her!"

Deepak stared up at Dawkins in horror, tears rolling down his cheeks as he choked back sobs, "P-p-please b-be reasonable! Dawk-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Dawkins retracted his claws and slashed Deepak clean across his left cheek. The yoga puppy let out a sharp yelp of pain before looking up at Dawkins with a look of complete shock and horror etched on his face. Slowly, Deepak's face contorted in pain as he let out a whimper of anguish. Dawkins watched as blood emerged from the claw marks on Deepak's cheek and blended with the tears of his face, "Deepak, I-"

Dawkins couldn't even finish his sentence as Deepak shot him a tearful glare, "Dawkins, y-you may not know it but there's a dark mist growing inside of you...it won't be long before it completely swallows you whole..."

"Deepak..."

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Deepak lashed out, his face a complete mess of tears and blood, "Y-you're SCARING ME! I...I'm sorry...but I can't help you..."

Immediately, Deepak got up and made a beeline to the house. Dawkins looked down at his retracted claws which were now stained by his brother's blood. It wasn't long before the inventor's own tears started welling up. What had he done? Blinded by emotion, Dawkins ran off. He dashed as fast as he could in the direction of the Camden Town Pet Cemetery. Sobs shook his body as he let out the occasional mournful howl. The fresh scent of Deepak's blood and the horrified look on his face literally made him sick with guilt. He felt like vomiting but choked back down the bile as tears poured down his face like waterfalls.

Eventually, he got to the cemetery and darted to the northeast corner. Throwing his arms around a cross-shaped tombstone with the name "Tesla" chiseled on it, Dawkins collapsed in exhaustion as tears streamed down his muzzle.

"Tesla...I'm so sorry...I broke the promise...I couldn't protect Princess Positron. I'm a terrible, awful puppy..."

The sky darkened as clouds started forming. The next thing Dawkins knew, he was being pelted by London rain. The freshwater blended with his salty tears as the heavens cried along with him. Not even caring that he was caught in a downpour, Dawkins sobbed himself to sleep on Tesla's grave.

Slowly, Dawkins opened his eyes and he was in a completely white void with nothing but a mirror standing in front of him. Slowly, he approached it and looked at his reflection. It was exactly the same of him only it's eyes were demented and it had razor-sharp blood-dripping fangs, "N...no...this can't be real..."

"You're a monster, Dawkins. A cold-blooded psychopath. That's all you'll ever be." The horrifying reflection spoke, "So tell me, how do you like the look of the inner you? Best you get used to me, kid. I'm the darkness inside of you and I'll grow and grow until you're completely evil. I'll infest you like a plague of fleas and consume you until not a speck of kindness remains..."

"NO!" Dawkins shouted. In a fit of rage, the genius slammed his fist against the mirror, shattering it, "GO AWAY!"

Immediately, Dawkins jolted awake and he looked around him. The rain had stopped and the sky was clear. He suddenly felt a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows and immediately became alert, "Stop lurking about and show yourself!"

Instantly, Dante emerged from the shadows and smiled at Dawkins, "Boo!"

Dawkins yelped and started to hyperventilate a bit, "Dante! What are you doing out so late? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"That's funny" Dante laughed, "I was just about to ask you the same question. Just so you know, you're in some pretty hot water for what you did to Deepak back there. Dylan's pretty ticked off."

Dawkins hung his head and let out a sigh, "It's probably for the best that he doesn't see me in a while, especially in the mental state i'm in."

"So why did you run off to a pet cemetery of all places?" Dante blinked in confusion, tilting his head, "That's something I'm more likely to do when I'm feeling down."

Closing his eyes, Dawkins drew a deep breath, "I suppose it's about time that I told you where I got Princess Positron. Only Dylan, Dolly and our parents know what happened so it's about time I let you in on my secret."

"I'm all ears." Dante replied, laying down on his stomach while staring intently at his inventor brother.

"Well, Princess Positron was actually a gift to me from someone very dear to my heart. She was this Saluki named Tesla and we had an awful lot in common but...she was also very sick." Dawkins let out a short pause to blink back the tears and rub his nose with the back of his paw.

"Her condition got worse and worse until one day...she...passed on. The last time I saw her alive was when I promised to keep Princess Positron safe. She was her most treasured possession and as soon as Cruella threw Princess Positron into her machine, I..."

Dawkins paused to let out a sniffle as tears started spilling out of his eyes again, "I...felt like I lost a part of myself forever...worst of all, I let her down and just couldn't keep my promise..."

The goth pup slowly shook his head in response, "Damn, man. That...really sucks." Dante got on his feet and actually pulled Dawkins into a hug. Choking back a few sobs, Dawkins hugged Dante back as he wiped a few tears from his face.

After a few quiet minutes that seemed like hours, the two broke the hug before Dawkins spoke, "Dante, if it was up to you, would you save Cruella from her machine?"

"Absolutely." Dante responded without a beat, "But not for reasons you think. You see, death is cheap. Been there, done that. Cruellas got a nice, long prison sentence ahead of her and I've overheard Pearl say that even the most hardened criminals don't take kindly to animal abuse. When you die, you go to a peaceful place. No suffering whatsoever. If you ask me, Cruella deserves the exact opposite of peace."

"Been there, done that?" Dawkins raised an eyebrow, "So you've had a near-death experience before?"

"Yeah-huh." Dante nodded, "It happened right when I was born. Got strangled to death by my own umbilical cord and had to be revived. Even had a few seizures afterwards or so that's what mom told me."

Dawkins quietly listened to the goth's story. He watched as tears slowly collected along the rims of Dante's baggy eyes, "My brain never developed like that of a normal pup. After the seizures, I started hearing voices. The voices told me about the end of the world. It was so peaceful when I was dead and while it sounds kinda morbid, part of me wishes I stayed that way. I spend countless nights trying my best to sleep but the buzzing in my head makes it pretty difficult. Sometimes I hear voices when I'm alone telling me that the world would be so much better off if it just ended. Then we'll all be at peace. No pain, no suffering. Just a void of eternal bliss."

"I see." Dawkins rubbed his chin, "So you're telling me that life equals suffering and death equals peace? That's an awfully nihilistic outlook on life but after what happened to you, I can't really say I blame you for thinking that way. I'm sure Tesla feels happy in a void like that, her cancer never harming her again."

"So I guess that's why I'm always so screwed up in the head." Dante chuckled as he let a warm tear run quickly down his snout and drip off the edge of his nose.

Dawkins emotionlessly watched as the goth pup's tear landed on the already soaked grass below him but nevertheless, placed a comforting paw on his shoulder, "I see, that would confirm one of my many theories validating your bizarre behavior. I'm glad you could be more open to me."

Nodding, Dante rubbed the tears out of his eyes with his purple fingers, "Thanks for taking the time to actually listen to me, Dawkins. Usually everyone just brushes me off for my behaviors. It's so nice to actually feel validated."

"Indeed." Dawkins agreed with a nod, "I may not be the best listener in the world as I'm always so busy but if you ever need to get anything off of your chest, you can talk to me."

"There you are!" Dylan's voice called out. Dawkins spun around and noticed Dylan, Dolly and Deepak standing there. Deepak had a large bandage on his left cheek from where the inventor slashed his face and a worried expression. Dolly had a concerned look on her face and before he knew it, Dylan was pinning him to the ground, "Why did you hurt Deepak? He came in the house crying his eyes out with a big, bloody mark on his cheek and YOU think I'm gonna let that slide? Well, two can play at that game, mister!"

Dolly and Deepak watched in horror as Dylan retracted his own claws and readied to slash Dawkins' cheek but Dante instantly grabbed Dylan's arm before he could slash his assistant. Dylan felt his gothic brother beginning to twist his arm and Dante shot him a look of disgust, "He's suffered enough, Dylan. Just let him go."

Seeing with rage, Dylan glared deep into his now sobbing assistant's eyes. Immediately, he could see nothing but pure remorse and his expression softened as Dante let go of his arm. Immediately, Dylan felt a wave of guilt crash over him and he started crying himself. Burying his face into his paws, the teen Dalmatian let his tears run freely as sobs shook his body.

Deepak slowly approached Dylan and started rubbing his back, "Guru Miaow says that two wrongs don't make a right, Dylan. You should never let revenge cloud your judgement."

"I'm so sorry..." Dylan choked through sobs. Dolly and Dante watched the incredibly awkward scenario play out. Dylan bawling his eyes out as Deepak consoled him with Dawkins crying equally hard on the ground. About 5 minutes passed before Dylan scooped his assistant into his arms and hugged him, giving him nuzzles in an attempt to console him, "I'm not gonna hit you but you're still grounded, Dawkins..."

"I know..." Dawkins sighed, feeling defeated. He then looked over to Deepak and frowned, "I'm so sorry for attacking you like that. I never meant to do any harm. It's just...something inside me finally snapped when I lost Princess Positron. She had extreme sentimental value to me so I've been feeling deeply broken ever since. I was wrong to take out my anger on you and hopefully, you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"As a disciple of Guru Miaow, I've already forgiven you, brother." Deepak replied with a kind smile, "It's not in my nature to hold grudges like that."

Dawkins released his hug from Dylan and pulled Deepak into one, massive hug. Dolly turned towards Dante, "Looks like everything's going back to normal, huh?"

"I guess." Dante sighed in response, "I just had no idea Dawkins had so much emotional baggage. Losing someone like that must've been awful."

"Yeah." Dolly agreed, "He was so upset by it, he could barely even work with his inventions for a while and Doug had to snap him out of it."

"Looks like I've missed out on a lot." Dante replied, staring at the ground, "Guess that's what happens when I hide in the shadows all the time."

"Just try and work on your social skills, bro." Dolly gave her goth brother an encouraging punch to his arm, "On the bright side, you're nowhere near as bad as Dylan."

"Maybe there's hope for me yet." Dante laughed sarcastically, rubbing his arm as the sun set on the graveyard.

And with that, the five pups headed back home after an exhausting day full of drama and tears. Dawkins smiled down at what was left of his beloved toy, "Rest in peace, Princess Positron. May you meet again with Tesla in the afterlife."

The end.


End file.
